Friday, July 25, 2014

U of M Project Aimed at Reducing Marijuana Use

A University of Memphis professor has received a $400,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to help reduce marijuana use among college students.

Murphy

Dr. James Murphy, associate professor of psychology, will use the funds over two years to increase the awareness of the drug's risks by "correcting the misperception that most or all students use marijuana." Also, the project will try to get students involved in "constructive, academic, social, exercise, creative, and vocational alternatives."

"Although marijuana does not pose the same risk for overdose or severe dependence as many other drugs, it can be habit forming, difficult to quit, and associated with academic, legal and financial problems and difficulties with thinking, memory and learning," Murphy said in a statement.

Few interventions have been tested for excessive use of marijuana, Murphy said, while there are effective interventions to reduce drinking among college students.

The award is a also sponsored by the National Institue on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and goes along with an existing grant called “Reducing College Drinking With a Behavioral Economic Supplement.”